Hosta plant named ‘Bridal Falls’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct  Hosta  plant named  Hosta  ‘Bridal Falls’ with cordate leaves having blue-green centers and wide yellow margins that develop into a creamy white to white margins. Flowers are light lavender on large-sized plant held attractively above the variegated foliage.

Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid (Tratt.).

Variety denomination: ‘Bridal Falls’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct Hosta plant, Hosta ‘Bridal Falls’ discovered by Hendrik Jan van den Top at a nursery in Barneveld, The Netherlands in the summer of 2009 as an uninduced whole plant mutation in a tissue cultured crop of Hosta ‘Niagara Falls’ (not patented). The new plant has been successfully asexually propagated by division at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and by sterile plant tissue culture, and in both asexual propagation systems found to be stable and produce identical plants that maintain the unique characteristics of the original plant.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Hosta ‘Bridal Falls’ differs from its sport parent, ‘Niagara Falls’, as well as all other hostas known to the applicant. Other similar varieties include: Hosta ‘Crispula’ (not patented), ‘Gone with the Wind’ (not patented), ‘Lonesome Pine’ (not patented), ‘Silk Kimono’ (not patented), ‘Zippity Do Dah’ (not patented. ‘Crispula’ has a longer and more pointed leaf shape, the margin emerges whiter and the flowers are paler lavender. ‘Gone with the Wind’ leaves are less arching in maturity, less sinuate or undulate in the margin and longer and more pointed than the new variety. ‘Lonesome Pines’ is also less arching foliage, the leaf apex is less acute and leaf margin less sinuate. ‘Silk Kimono’ has fewer leaf vein pairs that are also less pronounced or less impressed and less sinuate margins. ‘Zippity Do Dah’ has more elongated and narrower leaves with fewer vein pairs and the leaf blade is more coarsely sinuate rather than the intense undulations confined to the leaf margins. All of the above cultivars have green leaf centers with white to creamy-yellow margins having margins or coarse waves throughout the leaf blades, but ‘Bridal Falls’ has a more intense sinuate or rippled (piecrusting) margin with the reminder of the leaf flat except for the intensely impressed veins. ‘Bridal Falls’ differs from its mutation parent, ‘Niagara Falls’, by having a broad creamy yellow margin upon leaf emergence that develops to a creamy-white to white.

There are over 4,950 cultivars registered with The American Hosta Society, which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Hosta and a similar number of unregistered cultivars. Hosta ‘Bridal Falls’ differs from all these registered and unregistered cultivars known to the inventor in the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Plant of large size with foliage that arches over in         maturity.     -   2. Cordate leaves with green centers and sinuate or undulate         margins of creamy yellow margins upon leaf emergence that         develops to a creamy white to white.     -   3. Foliage has deeply impressed veins above and sharply ridged         veins below.     -   4. Numerous light-lavender slightly pendulous flowers on erect         scapes well above foliage with large bracts below each flower         having similar color to flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the two-year old plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits, grown in a partially shaded greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source, direction and temperature may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a leaf close-up of a two-year old plant in the early part of the growing season.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower in early August.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hosta ‘Bridal Falls’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, growth rate, moisture and specimen maturity, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of a two-year old plant in a greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. with white plastic glazing and light fertilizer.

-   Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid. -   Mutation parentage: Hosta ‘Niagara Falls’ (not patented). -   Propagation method: By sterile laboratory tissue culture propagation     and garden division. -   Growth rate: Rapid. -   Crop time: Under normal spring growing conditions 8 to 10 weeks to     finish in a 4.0-liter container from a 65 mm liner. -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About two and a half     weeks. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant shape and habit.—Hardy, long-lived, herbaceous             perennial, densely rhizomatous, forming a large mounded             clump in maturity, with basal rosette of arching leaves on             long petioles; usually radially symmetrical.         -   Roots.—Normal, fleshy, lightly branching, cream-colored in             normal soil.         -   Plant size.—Foliage height about 28 cm tall; width of plant             at the widest point is approximately 75 cm at the widest             point just above soil line. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Leaf blade.—Cordate, entire margins, cordate leaf base with             acute apex, flat, mostly bilaterally symmetrical, sinuous or             pie-crust margins, with deeply impressed adaxial veins and             ribbed abaxial; length to width ratio of about 1.5:1.0;             average about 30 cm long and 20 cm wide; 12 to 14 pairs of             major parallel veins and one main center vein; glabrous;             adaxial (top) surface glaucous becoming dull matte-surfaced             late in growing season, abaxial surface (bottom) highly             glaucous remaining throughout growing season; margin             variegation width portion increasing with maturity from year             to year; width of variegation irregular with jetting of             intermediate portion; on younger plant lightest margin color             average of about 8.0 mm and on older plant average of about             12.0 mm.         -   Blade color.—Early season as emerging adaxial (top) center             between RHS 138A and RHS 138B, adaxial margin more yellow             than RHSN145D and more green than RHS 160B, intermediate             colors of RHS 145B, nearest RHS 138D and nearest RHS 144D in             small irregular and linear patches between the margin and             center; early season as emerging abaxial (bottom) center             more yellow than RHS 138A and more green than RHS 147B,             abaxial margin more green than RHS 11B and more yellow than             RHS 162D, intermediate colors of nearest RHS 145C and             nearest RHS 148D in large irregular and linear patches             between the margin and center; mid-season and later adaxial             center nearest RHS 137A, creamy-white margin nearest but             lighter than RHS 155D and large and small irregular             intermediate patches of nearest RHS 147D and other smaller             intermediate patches of nearest RHS 145D, lighter and             greener than RHS 148C and lighter than RHS 153D; mid-season             and later abaxial center nearest RHS N138B, creamy margins             nearest but lighter than RHS 155D and large and small             irregular intermediate patches or striations of nearest RHS             145A, RHS N144A, RHS 151C and RHS 154D.         -   Veins.—12 to 14 pairs of major parallel veins, with one             major center vein; veins impressed above and ridged below to             a depth of about 3.0 mm.         -   Vein color.—On early season adaxial center nearest RHS 138A             and nearest RHS 145C in the margin; abaxial margin and             center the same color as the surrounding leaf tissue.         -   Petioles.—Typically mostly flat entire, concavo-convex,             glabrous, glaucous, upright to arching; about 26 to 32 cm             long and about 1.2 cm wide measured at 3 cm above soil line.         -   Petiole color.—Margins of petiole same as the respective             adaxial blade margins in early season and mid to late             season; adaxial and abaxial center between RHS 138C and RHS             138B and lighter than RHS 155D in the margin portion of both             surfaces. -   Flower description:     -   -   Buds.—Clavate, bluntly acute to rounded apex with longer             thin base; one day prior to opening about 8.0 cm long and             1.7 cm wide at the broadest portion.         -   Bud color.—Lighter than RHS 85D at proximal fused base and             lighter still to near white with very slight tinting of RHS             85D at the distal end.         -   Flowers.—Closely arranged, 26 to 38 per scape; each             subtended by bract; funnelform; about 5.5 cm wide and 8.0 cm             long, (distal flowers slightly smaller); remain open for a             normal period, usually one to two days on or cut from plant;             scapes remain effective from late-June into mid-July in             Zeeland, Mich.; no detectable fragrance.         -   Tepals.—Two sets of three fused at the basal two thirds;             acute apex; margins entire; glabrous, approximately 8.0 cm             long and 1.5 cm wide.         -   Tepal color.—Abaxial tepal color lighter than RHS 85D;             adaxial tepal center middle portion nearest RHS 84C with             adaxial margins near white, lighter than RHS N155D in outer             1.0 to 2.0 mm, the adaxial inner tepals having a clear             transparent edge of about 1.0 mm wide.         -   Gynoecium.—Single. Style: about 8.5 cm long, 1 mm diameter,             curled slightly upward in the distal 1.5 mm; color lighter             (more white) than RHS 155D the with the proximal 1.5 mm             nearest RHS 145D; Stigma: globose; 1 mm to 2 mm in diameter,             color lighter than RHS 155D; Ovary: oval, about 6 mm long             and 3 mm diameter; between RHS 145A and RHS 145B.         -   Androecium.—Six. Filaments: six, about 1.0 mm in diameter             and 6.8 cm long, shorter than gynoecium; with slight curve             upward the proximal 1.5 mm; lighter than RHS 11D throughout;             Anthers: oblong; attached midpoint lengthwise; dehiscing             along the center longitudinal axis; about 4.0 mm long and             1.5 mm wide, color nearest after anthesis; Pollen:             elliptical, less than 0.1 mm long, nearest RHS 13B.         -   Bracts.—Subtending each flower, lanceolate, margins entire,             glaucous, glabrous, concavo-convex, widest at middle and             tapering to acute apex; sessile, clasping about ½ peduncle;             protruding upward about 70 to 80 degree angle away from             scape at time of flower opening; size of lowest bract about             8.0 cm long and 1.2 cm wide before first flower,             progressively decreasing in both length and width; drying as             flowers open.         -   Bract color.—Lowest two or three bracts same color and             variegation as foliage; distal bracts lighter than RHS 138D             with tinting of nearest RHS 186D most heavily concentrated             toward apex; after flower drop and before drying developing             to nearest RHS N144D.         -   Pedicel.—Rounded, slightly curved, glaucous, glabrous; about             12 mm long, 3 mm diameter.         -   Pedicel color.—Nearest RHS 186D with a tint of RHS 138C.         -   Peduncle.—Cylindrical, glaucous, glabrous, typically             unbranched; usually one per division, mostly upright to             slightly arching to about 15 degrees from vertical; about 8             to 10 mm diameter at base, about 75 to 85 cm tall.         -   Peduncle color.—Nearest RHS 137A. -   Fruit: Has not yet been observed. -   Seeds: Have not yet been observed. -   Disease and pest resistance: Disease or pest resistance beyond that     common to hostas has not been observed. The plant grows best with     light fertilizer, plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is     able to tolerate some flooding and drought when mature. Hardiness at     least from USDA zone 3 through 9, and other disease resistance is     typical of that of other hostas. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct ornamental Hosta plant named ‘Bridal Falls’ as herein described and illustrated, with cordate leaves having dark green centers and wide creamy yellow margins that develop into a creamy white to white, light lavender flowers on large-sized plant, suitable as a potted plant, for landscaping the garden, and for cut flower or leaf arrangements. 